Marine Mammals
Whale strandings usually occur several times a year and if the whale is still alive, every effort is made to get it back out to sea. A whale rescue training day was provided by Project Jonah in 2017 to upskill tangata kaitiaki in whale rescue work.
If a whale is washed up dead or a rescue attempts fails, any part of the whale that can be used for cultural purposes, is recovered and treated as taonga. Blubber is rendered down for oil which is highly valued for mirimiri and other purposes. Teeth and bones can be used for whakairo/carving.